Ice vids cost mobile users buckets of cash

MOBILE phone users are being hit with higher bills — and it’s partly due to
the Ice Bucket Challenge.

An update to Facebook means that videos now play automatically on users’
newsfeeds.

It is causing their data allowance to be used up much faster than previously.
The problem has been made worse by a surge in the number of videos for the
charity challenge posted to the social network. The craze has spawned 2.4
million clips.

The “autoplay” feature has also led to some people being exposed to
distressing footage they did not wish to see, such as the beheadings of two
journalists by Islamic State terrorists.

One user, Caroline Greenhalgh Baxter, said: “I went over my data limit for the
first time in May. I turned off Facebook videos and I haven’t been anywhere
near my limit since.”